IBC Reflections: Tektronix on latest HDR progress

Video test and monitoring solutions provider Tektronix put high dynamic range (HDR) in its crosshairs at IBC. The company trailed some developments during meetings with customers that, they reported, garnered positive feedback, including showing data not just in millivolts but also in Stops of Light. Doing so helps users correctly shade images coming in from a mix of cameras to generate HDR and SDR images – ideal for any multi-camera live sports production.

“We believe that HDR is going to become a major driver in sports,” says Charlie Dunn, General Manager, Video Product Line for Tektronix. “I do think there’s a lot of confusion [in the United States] about what its going to take to pull it off. We participated in a trial with the [Los Angeles] Dodgers and [San Francisco] Giants earlier this year and it wasn’t really that different, and it wasn’t that much extra gear. The pictures look fantastic. If you combine that all together with the fact that even if its just 1080p, you’re delivering a really nice picture and I think for a sports environment that’s really what they are after.”

Dunn also noted that he has seen a real progressive community emerge in the European market when it comes to the transition to IP. The company’s PRISM platform was also at the Tektronix IBC booth, offering a range of options and field-installable upgrades for monitoring hybrid IP/SDI networks, among many other applications. The tool has an added 4K/WCG/HDR toolset.